The Girl With the Brown Eyes
by BuddingWriter101
Summary: We think we know Sophie inside and out; it's her mind Keeper of the Lost Cities is told from. But, what did Fitz think when he first met her? And Alden? And Keefe? And all the other characters? Find out in this story! Starting recently, you can also request any KOTLC scene in any POV!
1. Meeting Sophie: Fitz

**I know, there are tons and tons and tons of these. But this isn't all I'm doing. It's going to be a bunch of characters, like Alden and Grady and stuff, when they firstmeet Sophie from their point of view! It's in the same style as my Ships story, so I thought this one would be good to replace it.**

 **This is the first one-shot in this story. It was a little harder to write, since I wanted to use the actual dialogue in the book, and it's a little hard when I'm "limited" like that. But, it was fun, and I think it turned out all right. Hope you like it!**

 **Fitz**

It was another day as usual, searching for this strange missing elf. Honestly, I wasn't even sure if she existed. My dad had been looking for this girl for years, wasting mine and my brother's time looking and looking and looking. So when he got that newspaper of the girl on the front, he was convinced that she was the one, which I honestly didn't believe.

I casually leaned against the wall of the museum and waited for her class to arrive. I laughed to myself as I saw the scaled dinosaur model; humans were so ignorant.

A group of students entered from the hall in front of me. Each looked absolutely bored out of their minds. I scanned the girl's picture from the newspaper and read over the article again; Sophie Foster. That was her name.

The class had started walking away, but I caught the girl gazing at me. But her eyes, they were brown. _I knew it. She's not the one._

I sighed, but decided to talk to her anyway, even though I wasn't supposed to. I'd probably get in trouble. It probably wasn't even the right girl, but I had to be sure.

I made my way over. I went with the obvious and pointed to the picture. "Is this you?"

She blushed and nodded.

"I thought so. I didn't realize your eyes were brown." _Oh yeah. That probably wasn't confusing at all. Way to go, Fitz._

"Uh, yeah… Why?" she looked at me a moment. "Are you in this class?" she asked, then flushed even deeper. I smiled; humans.

"Tell me something." She waited and I pointed to the highly inaccurate Albertosaurus. "Do you really think that's what they looked like? It's a little absurd, isn't it?" _Let's see what she thinks about that._

She looked at the dinosaur then back to me, unimpressed. "Not really. Why? What do you think they looked like?"

I shook my head and laughed. This obviously wasn't who we were looking for. Time to scratch her off the list and move on.

"Never mind. I'll let you get back to your class. It was nice to meet you, Sophie." I started to go a bathroom so I could leap out, when a group of little kids came running and screaming down the hall. They were loud, but their _minds_ were agony. As a Telepath, it was hard enough to block the thoughts of human adults. But screaming kids? That was beyond painful, especially when unexpected.

I put my hands to my temples, trying to block out their voices, but as I looked up, I caught the girl's eye. Her hands were on her forehead, her face twisted in pain. She saw me and froze.

I could barely speak. "Did you just…hear that?" She went completely pale.

"Who are you?"

It couldn't be, could it? But her eyes…they weren't blue… "You did, didn't you? Are you a Telepath?" She cringed and her eyes grew panicked. This was her! I had done it! After twelve years! Finally, I had something to show for all this searching. My father was right after all.

"You are. I can't believe it." She looked terrified and started backing away from me. "It's okay. You don't have to be afraid. I'm one too." She turned a shade of green. "My name's Fitz." Her eyes grew skeptical. Did she honestly think I would lie about this? "I'm not joking."

She started wobbling so I grabbed onto her arm, hoping she wouldn't fall over. "It's okay. I'm here to help. We've been looking for you for twelve years." But apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. She yanked her arm out of my grasp and dashed to the exist.

"Sophie, come back!" I called out. She kept going. "Wait, you don't have to be afraid." She ran out, and I went after her. I wasn't worried about losing her. I had found her once; it wouldn't be hard to again. Sophie Foster was the missing elf. Who knew it would be the girl with the brown eyes.

 **So, there you have it! More will probably come in the order that characters meet her, like Alden is going to be next. I hope you liked it!**


	2. Meeting Sophie: Alden

**Okay, this is much, much longer than the Fitz one. Maybe a little longer then it should be. Can you guys give me suggestions? Should I skip over stuff, and only do the most important parts? Or do you want to see everything, with every piece of dialogue? Also, which would you rather see, a chapter from Oralie's point of view, Kenric's, or Bronte's? I'll probably only do one, considering they all meet Sophie at the same time. Maybe I'll do other moments later for the two characters I don't do. I'm not sure yet. Sorry that I took so long to write this. These all are probably going to take longer, since I need to have the book when I write. But there will definitely be lots. Hope you enjoy this chapter! My answers to reviews are at the bottom!**

 **OH, btw, I made a poll, asking who people ship Sophie with. It should be on my profile page, but I'm not a 100% sure how polls work. I just wanted to test it out.**

 **-Alden**

"You…what?" I stared uncomprehendingly at my son, Fitz, as he came rushing into my office. He was talking so rapidly I could barely understand him.

"I found her! I found the girl!"

I sat straight up in my chair. "Really? Are you sure?"

He looked at me with eyes wide with excitement. "Yes! I'm positive! It's Sophie Foster!"

I darted out of my chair and started pacing back and forth, stroking my chin thoughtfully. "Alright, we'll have to take this slowly, so we don't frighten her. Maybe I should come, explain things to her, but that might scare her as well…"

Fitz looked at the ground. "Well, um, she kinda, already knows…I um, sort of took her to Eternalia…"

"YOU WHAT?" I stopped pacing to stare angrily at him, who avoided looking me in the eyes. Rubbing my temples, I took a few deep breaths. "What happened?"

"She has brown eyes, dad! I wasn't sure at first, so I talked to her. And then these kids came running in, and she could hear them. Their minds, I mean. She's a Telepath! But she ran away…"

"Exactly why I told you to keep your distance," I said through gritted teeth. "But she's a Telepath? That certainly makes things interesting."

"Yeah, yeah. But I followed her, and this car swerved and hit a pole, and it was coming down on top of her…"

"Did you use your telekinesis? Did anybody see you?"

"That's the thing. She did. She used telekinesis, and kept the pole floating, but she didn't even know how. She did it out of instinct."

"What?" That was…amazing. A child, a child who thinks she's a human, shouldn't be able to lift that much, especially when she doesn't even know she's doing it.

"Yeah, so she was all freaked out. And I told her that she's an elf. Don't look at me like that! You weren't there! I took her to Eternalia to try and convince her, so she wouldn't get really scared and go tell her parents."

"Yes, but you took her _without a nexus on_. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Not to mention how bad it would have looked had you been caught?"

"I know dad, I know. But I handled it, you know my concentration is strong enough."

"While I know you are powerful, skill should not be overestimated. You have to careful, and everything you did didn't fall under 'careful.'"

"I'm sorry, dad. I really am." But he didn't look sorry, and I don't think I would be able to get through to him.

I sighed and started pacing again. "I'm going to have to alert the Council. And we're going to have to talk with the girl again. They'll probably want her to move here immediately." I shook my head in pity. "As excited as I am, this is going to be very hard for her."

"What's going to be hard? Coming here and learning who she really is? How could that be anything but exciting? And she's a Telepath! A powerful one. This is an amazing opportunity!"

I glared at my son for a moment, but could he ever really understand? "Yes, well, I will tell the Council, and they will decide what to do from there. Be prepared, however, to go back to the Forbidden Cities."

Fitz looked at me worriedly for a moment. "We're not going to get in trouble, right?"

I smiled, "I think that the Council will see the benefits of my bending the rules."

"Alright," he turned to go, but I called to him again.

"You cannot tell anyone that she is a Telepath. This is going to be difficult as it is."

He feigned disappointment. "Not even Keefe?"

"Heaven forbid you tell Keefe. Him alone is enough to scare her away, not to mention all of Foxfire will know within an hour."

Both of us laughing, he walked out the door to get ready for bed. As for me, I had a long night ahead.

I waited for Fitz and Sophie Foster at the gates of Everglen, my home. This whole ordeal was not going to be easy. Bronte was not going to be convinced in a snap, if the girl was able to convince him at all. It wasn't just Bronte, either. Every Councilor was wary, and I really couldn't blame them. But Sophie Foster was the one who was really entering a time of hardship, and I was responsible for it.

 _Deep breaths_ , I told myself. _I can not feel guilty about this_. I already had so much weighing down my conscious. She would be happy here…

I stood straighter as the gates swung open, revealing my son with an arm on the shoulder of the girl. Her shoulder-length blond hair glistened, and her eyes were indeed brown, but they fit her nicely.

"Sophie," Fitz said gently, "This is my father, Alden."

Her cheeks flushed and she waved shyly to me.

I smiled as cheerfully as I could. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sophie," I looked at her eyes again. "I see Fitz wasn't kidding about the brown eyes. Most unusual." Well, I meant that in the best way. Hopefully she would understand.

"Oh, uh. Yeah."

No, obviously, she did not. But she spoke the Enlighted Language perfectly. She really did belong here."There's nothing to be embarrassed about. I think the color is quite pretty. Don't you, Fitz?" Fitz nodded his head as the read in Sophie's face went brighter.

"Did you tell anyone else where Sophie was?" Fitz asked, looking at me accusingly.

I frowned. "Only the Council. Why?"

"Sophie said someone tried to take her this morning."

What? I turned to Sophie and examined her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, he never got close enough to grab me. He just looked like he wanted to."

"Humans," I muttered under my breath. What else could it be? Elves are well above such atrocities like kidnapping. This girl, no matter how hard it might be, would certainly be safer here.

"Actually," Fitz interrupted. "Sophie thought it might be an elf." Fitz gave me a look, like he didn't believe her. I didn't either, no offense to Sophie. It's understandable that figuring out she is an elf, in such an abrupt way, would make her suspicious.

"Kidnapping is a human crime," I told her. "I've never heard of an elf even considering such a thing– much less trying it. What made you think it was one of us?"

"I might've been wrong," she shuffled her feet and looked to the ground. "I just can't remember hearing his thoughts – which has only happened around Fitz. And now you."

Ah, I forgot. She was a Telepath. "Yes, Fitz told me about your telepathy." I placed my hand on her forehead. I needed to see this supposed elf kidnapper. "Do you mind?"

"Um," she took a step back, her eyes panicked.

"I mean you no harm, I assure you. I'd love to see your memories of the kidnapper, if that's okay?"

She blinked a few times and glanced at Fitz, who nodded, then searched my eyes. Finally, she nodded once, and I closed my eyes, reaching out for her thoughts.

I expected them to come rushing in, her being so inexperienced with blocking. But nothing. I reached farther, dug deeper, but I all I got was silence. Eventually, after it was clear I wasn't getting anywhere, I pulled away. "Well, you are indeed a fascinating girl."

"Couldn't hear her either, could you?" Fitz asked smugly.

"No, we'll look into what's happening in the morning, but I'm sure there's no reason to worry. You're here now, and it's perfectly safe in our world-" I glanced at her bare wrists and turned angrily to Fitz. "I told you specifically not to leap her without a nexus." Did he forget our entire conversation?

"Sorry, I forgot. Sophie thought she saw the guy that was trying to grab her, so we had to get out of there quick. But we're fine. I had us covered."

"That's not the point," I opened my hand, gesturing for the nexus. I fit it around Sophie's wrist. "Is that comfortable?" She nodded and fiddled a little with it. I made a few more tweaks, and it locked in place. "There. All set."

"Um, what is it?"

"A safety precaution. Your body has to break into tiny particles to be carried by the light, and the nexus holds these particles together until your concentration is strong enough to do it for you. Fitz never should have let you leap without one – even with the stressful circumstances."

"But Fitz doesn't have one," she countered.

"I got mine off early," my son answered, seizing the opportunity to show off. Though, what could I expect him to do in the presence of a pretty girl? "My concentration is strong enough for three people – which is why we're fine." He shot me a dirty look. "Sophie's not even a bit faded, and you know it."

I needed to let this message sink in. "Only fools overestimate their skills, son. You've never had to watch someone fade away. Perhaps if you had, you would be more cautious." His eyes went to the ground. He needs to learn before he does end up hurting someone.

"What does it mean to fade away?" Sophie asked. How exactly should I tell her? I needed to tell her…

"It's when you lose to much of yourself during a leap. Your body isn't able to fully reform, and eventually the light pulls the rest of you away and you're lost forever." She stared at me with wide eyes and shivered a little. I cleared my throat and continued, to reassure her. "It's only happened a few times, and we'd prefer to keep it that way." I glared at Fitz, who shrugged off my warning.

"Fine, the next time you send me on a secret mission to collect a long-lost elf, I'll be sure to put the nexus on _before_ I leap her." I tried holding my smile, though I'm sure I failed. Some elves would never learn.

But we had places to be, and the sooner we got this over with, the better. "We shouldn't keep our guests waiting."

Her face paled considerably and she took a few deep breaths. "How exactly does this test decide my future?"

"They're testing you to see if you qualify for Foxfire," Fitz answered.

"Isn't that glowing fungus?" I burst out laughing. Maybe that comment would knock my son's ego down a few steps.

"It's our most prestigious academy."

"You named your most prestigious academy after fungus?"

"It represents a bright glow in a darkened world."

"But…the light comes from fungus."

I continued laughing at the red of Fitz's face. "Would you stop saying 'fungus?' Only those with the strongest talent qualify at Foxfire, and if you don't get in, you might as well kiss your future good bye." Sophie was silenced at that, and I decided it was time to step in.

"You'll have to excuse my son. He's very proud to attend Foxfire – and it's definitely an accomplishment. But don't let him worry you. The earliest levels are more of a testing ground, to see who develops abilities that qualify them to continue with their studies." And of course, she was already a Telepath, so she shouldn't have any problems there.

"Is it going to be hard to get into Foxfire?" I might as well tell the truth.

"Councilor Bronte is going to be difficult to impress. He feels your upbringing and lack of education should disqualify you. Plus, he doesn't like surprises. The Council had no idea you existed until today, and he's more than a little miffed about it. But you only need two out of three votes. Just do the best you can."

We walked on, to where Kenric, Oralie, and Bronte were waiting. I believed in Sophie. She seemed like a smart, talented, and pretty girl. I had no doubt she would find her place in this world. Who knew it would be the girl with the brown eyes.

 **ha** **J** **I actually wrote this story around when I first posted stuff on FF. I took your advice and waited before posting it so I wouldn't be drowning in too many updates.**

 **TheBooksAreBetterThanTheMovies** **: Thank you very much.** **J** **I tried my best.**

 **Ellie** **: Yeah, maybe I'll do more from Fitz later. For now, it's going to be different characters.**

 **Guest** **: Thanks** **J** **. It's fun, no matter how tedious.**

 **Alice Bergman** **: Cool, I'm glad you like it. I'm sure you'll, and everyone else, probably like this Alden chapter better, because of the longer length.**

 **Smiles** **: Glad you liked it so much! I hope you like this one!**

 **Sophitz4life** **: I'm posting! I'm posting! *cries* jk**

 **Mysterious M** **: Yeah, I probably take Fitz down more than I should. I love the guy, but I still have a bit of a grudge after Exile. Sorry, not sorry. Glad you liked it!**

 **Waves-Of-Writing** **: Really? Well, I know I've seen at least one example of this through Fitz's point of view, and I figured there were more. Glad you liked it!**

 **Elover05** **: Thank you! I hope you continue reading!**


	3. Meeting Sophie: Bronte

**-Bronte**

 **Okay, I decided to start with Bronte, but I WILL be doing Oralie and Kenric. Depending on how long their chapters are, they might be together or in separate chapters. But I decided to get Bronte out to you guys, since I haven't posted anything in a while. Sorry 'bout that. Hope you enjoy! Bronte certainly is an interesting character!**

 **P.S. I recently posted a very short story at Fiction Press. Its my same username, BuddingWriter101, and the story is called "Shadow Man." If you want to read some of my original work, check it out. It's the only thing I have so far, but I'll post when I get inspiration.**

I waited impatiently in Everglen, the home of Alden Vacker, wondering just how this would all end up. It was, in all honesty, completely absurd. An "elf" that was living in the Forbidden Cities? What were we supposed do about that?

The biggest disappointment was Alden's betrayal to the Council. He had been breaking rules and going behind our backs for twelve years, all to find some ignorant girl who knew nothing of our ways. Maybe Councilor Emery was willing to forgive him, but I would not stand for this outrage. I was the only one who understood that the mind break of Prentice affected Alden mentally much more than he let on.

"Oh, quit pouting Bronte!" Kenric said, laughing as I scowled.

"You may think this is funny," I replied, "but this is a very serious matter. I have never even heard of this girl! She's nothing more than a human, and I doubt she anything to show."

"Alden said she was a Telepath," said Oralie in her quiet voice.

"With no control! No sense of right and wrong! We are only asking for trouble by tolerating this nonsense!"

"We're here to be the judge of that," Kenric spoke as folded his legs with unconcern. "We need to at least give her a chance to prove herself, not dismiss her right away. She's an elf, and we have to treat her with the same respect as any other elf."

"But she's been living with humans! She's not an elf!"

He pursed his lips. "We'll just have to see."

Kenric went back to his usually business; smiling flirtatiously at Oralie. Not only was it rude and quite frankly gross, it was also forbidden.

A few minutes later, Alden and his son Fitz entered the room, and short blond girl with bright brown eyes followed in her wake. She stared at is fearfully. _Good_ , I thought, _she should be intimidated._

She met my eyes and our gazes locked, but she gave a sudden gasp.

"What?" I asked, irritated.

"Sorry," she mumbled, looking to the ground as her face turned a light shade of red. "I was surprised by your ears."

I touched my ears. What could possibly be wrong with them? "My ears?" I asked. The room burst out laughing, and my anger grew. Already, this girl was getting on my bad side.

I watched Alden try to reign in his laughter. "I think she's surprised that your ears are pointy." He turned to the girl. "Our ears change as we age."

Just as I suspected and feared. She was as ignorant as I had predicted. I shot Kenric a glare, who rolled his eyes in return. Fine. Let him be that way. He would see.

She touched the sides of her head in panic. "I'm going to get _pointy ears_?"

"Not for a few thousand years. By then I doubt you'll mind."

Her face turned white as she sank into a chair. "How long do elves live?"

"We don't know," Kenric answered. "No one's died from old age yet."

"So, you're saying elves are…immortal?"

"No," Alden said sadly, "We can still die. But our bodies stop aging when we reach adulthood. We don't get wrinkles or gray hair. Only our ears age." He smiled at me, but I wanted no part of this. "Bronte belongs to a group we call the Ancients, which is why his ears are so distinct. Please, help yourself." He gestured to the silver platters of food laid out on the table.

She lifted the lid of hers. I could see the disgust in her eyes. "What is this stuff?"

"That's mashed carnissa root. The black strips are umber leaves," Alden explained.

She took a reluctant bite. "Tastes like chicken."

The rest of us recoiled in horror. The absolutely sickening human! I knew it, I knew it from the moment I heard about her! She was trouble. Absolutely trouble! And this next outrage was just the first few of many more to come!

"You eat animals?" Fitz asked, and I was happy to see that he was just as disgusted as I was.

She nodded uncomfortably. "I take it elves are vegetarians?" And how could she go along with those humans, eating animals? She was no elf! It was time to get this all over with.

"So, Sophie," her head snapped up. "Alden tells me you're a Telepath."

Her face paled considerably.

"Yes," Alden said for her. "She's been reading minds since she was five. Isn't that right Sophie?"

"That is the most absurd thing I've ever heard," I said in retort as she nodded. The lying brat!

"It's unusual," Alden argued.

Fine. If they wanted to keep this up, I would play along. "Let's see how good you are then. Tell me what I'm thinking." There was no way in all of Exile that this pathetic little girl could get through the mind of an ancient, no matter how long she was supposedly reading minds for. She wasn't so special. I was about to put the girl with the brown eyes in her place.

 **swan123** **: Thanks! I will try to get Oralie out soon, hopefully this weekend. But she will definetly be here!**

 **Bookworm90815** **: Lol, thanks. You should see me when I don't have spell-check. It's a mess. But I try my best, and I get really irritated if I read over my posted story and I spot a spelling mistake. So irritated I usually fix it and re-post.**

 **Ellie** **: Thank you! Tiergan will definitely make his appearance. I'm doing all the characters in the order that Sophie meets him, so he's coming up soon! Yeah, I was going to do that after I read your review, but decided that Bronte's was long enough for a "sorry I haven't posted in a while. I should really post something so they don't kill me." I'm starting to realize that even if a story looks long in word, it doesn't mean it's long in FF, which annoys me to no end. But Kenric's is coming soon!**

 **Waves-Of-Writing** **: Yeah, thanks for the suggestion. :) Glad you liked it!**

 **ShoreEevee** **: I KNOW! I want to write Keefe's sooooo bad! But I'm stinking to the plan I stated above: in the order that Sophie meets them. UGH! KEEFE!**

 **Ren** **: Lol, you're welcome. Sorry this one took so long.**

 **TEAM SOPHIE** **: Yep. I know. I'll try to get to them all soon. Biana will be the first main one. Grady and Edaline will probably together. But isn't that basically what fan-fiction is? Assuming what characters thought? That's why I'm writing this story; to make some fun assumptions on what they could have been thinking, and see the story from a different angle.**

 **Mysterious M** **: Lol. OOOHHH! That's a great idea! I will try to fit that in somewhere. That is a totally awesome idea. I'm glad you like it!**

 **KeeperCrew** **: Thank you a bunch! The other two povs are on the way!**


	4. Meeting Sophie: Kenric

**Here we are with Kenric. Oralie's will be up soon (and this time i really mean it) but it probably won't be very long. I didn't realize how little of a role she plays when she first meets Sophie.**

 **-Kenric**

I really didn't know what to make of Sophie Foster. Everyone deserves a chance, and I doubted the shy, little blond girl was going to be the troublesome brat Bronte was predicting. Of course, he was right in some aspects, as much as I hate to admit it. She didn't know anything about Elfin ways. And eating animals? It was almost too hard to stomach.

In all honesty, I simply expected her to be different, not _special_. So when she opened her mouth after trying to read Bronte's mind, an almost impossible task, I couldn't believe it.

"You're thinking you're the only one at this table with any common sense. And you're tired of watching Kenric stare at Oralie." I would have taken much more pleasure in Bronte's astonished face if I hadn't been so embarrassed at being caught watching Oralie twirl her hair. Then had it announced to everyone.

My embarrassment deepened further when I saw Alden trying to contain his laughter. "I take it that's right?"

Bronte nodded. "How can that be? An Ancient t mind is almost impenetrable."

Alden pursed his lips. "The key word is 'almost'. Don't feel bad. She also breached Fitz's blocking."

Fitz too? That was beyond amazing! I was liking this girl more every second.

"Looks like Alden's golden boy isn't as infallible as everyone thinks," Bronte sneered.

"It's more likely that Sophie is exceptionally special," Alden corrected. Hear, hear to that! "Fitz also,saw her lift ten times her own weight with telekinesis yesterday."

"You're kidding!" I exclaimedr. "At her age? Now that I have to see." It wasn't that I didn't believe, Sophie had so far been exceeding expectations. I was just incredibly curious.

Sophie's face paled and she sunk a little in her chair. "But I don't know how I did it. It just sort of happened."

"Just relax, Sophie," Alden said soothingly. Why not try something small?" He pointed to a goblet sitting in front of her on the table.

She stared at it in hopelessness for a moment, but then determination spread across her face. Within a few seconds, the glass rose smoothly into the air.

She looked at it in surprise. "I did it."

"That's it?" Bronte scoffed. "I thought she was supposed to be able to lift ten times her own weight?" Leave it to him to kill any cheerful feelings within a hundred mile radius.

"Give her a second," Alden said with a glare at Bronte. "She's still getting used to her ability." Who wouldn't be? Alden proceeded to calm and coax her. She took a deep breath and the rest of the goblets flew off the table.

"Excellent control!" I said and clapped. But she didn't stop there. After another fierce look of determination, three chairs joined the glasses in the air, including the one Brone sat on!

It was an incredible amount of weight, and I didn't blame her when she dropped everything with a shriek a few seconds later. To just get that much off the ground...it was amazing! Anyone who could shock the verminion droppings out of Bronte, and drop him on th ground, had my support.

She might be different, but I had no doubt in my mind that she was special. I had a feeling this girl with the brown eyes would do extraordinary things.

 **WavesOfWriting : LOL**

 **KOTLC 1 Fan: Not sure about your "number one fan" thing. I take fangirling to whole new levels. JK. Thank you so much!**

 **Guest : Glad you think so!**

 **Guest : Yeah, Bronte does have a few other sides to him besides really annoying pain in the butt. Hopefully I didn't disappoint with Kenric!**

 **sophieelisabeth : Can we just take a few seconds to appreciate the pretty-ness of Sophie's name? Thank you!**


	5. Meeting Sophie: Oralie

**Oh my gosh...it's been literally forever since I updated this. Idk, it was just kinda hard to do. But I'm going to try and bring it back, especially if you people like it. So, please, if you want to see more, tell me what you think. I'll even be happy with insistent "UPDATE!" comments. But here we go, it's Oralie! I hope you enjoy!**

Kenric applauded and leaped out of his chair to pat the girl on the back. I also clapped politely, and eyed the girl with curiosity.

"I've never seen such natural talent!" he cried. "You're even a natural at our language. Your accent is perfect. Almost as perfect as these guys." He used his thumb to gesture at Lord Alden and Fitz. I had to admit, her speech was certainly rolling right off her tongue.

Her eyes widened at Kenric's words. "I'm sorry, what?" She seemed surprised. Was she really not aware?

"You've been speaking the Enlightened Language since we leaped here," Fitz answered, laughing. "Just like you did yesterday."

The girl, Sophie, still seemed nervous. Poor thing, this was probably all still a shock to her.

"Our language is instinctive," Alden added. "We speak from birth - I'm sure people thought you were an interesting baby. Though to humans our language sounds like babbling."

Sophie looked to the ground for a moment. Deep in thought. Then she spoke. "Is there a word that sounds like 'soybean' in English?"

Alden's eyebrows furrowed. "Soybean?" I could practically see Bronte leaning forward in his chair.

"I used to say it as a baby. My parents thought I was trying to say my name and mispronouncing it. They even turned it into a nickname - a really annoying one." Her cheeks went red, especially when Fitz chuckled. Hm...interesting; Sophie and Fitz.

Kenric shrugged. "I can't think of what that would be." Truthfully, I didn't know either, but I could tell this "soybean" thing wasn't heading anywhere pleasant. Bronte was getting that nasty gleam in his eye again, especially when Alden paled.

"What is it?" Bronte insisted, obviously still peeved about being dropped on the ground by a little girl. I had to use my hand to hide my smile.

Alden tried to look unconcerned. "Probably nothing."

"I'll decide if it's nothing," Bronte clipped. While Bronte wasn't being kind about it, I was curious as well.

"It's..." Alden started, "possible she was saying _suldreen_ \- but it's a stretch."

I inhaled sharply, while Bronte narrowed his eyes and Kenric's lips tightened.

"What does _suldreen_ mean?" Sophie asked innocently. This wasn't good. Not good at all.

Alden coughed a bit. "It's the proper name for a moonlark, a rare species of bird."

She looked confused. "And that's bad because..."

"It's not so bad," Alden tried to assure her, but his voice was tight. "It's just interesting."

Bronte snorted, and I resisted the urge to shoot him a glare. That would unlady-like. "Troubling is what it is."

Sophie seemed panicked at Bronte's words, and I couldn't blame her. This was new and unexpected, but he could at least try not to act so prickly. "Why would it be troubling."

"It wouldn't be an uncomfortable coincidence," Alden explained, "But most likely you _were_ trying to say your name. You were hearing it all the time so it's natural that you would try to repeat it."

"Well," Bronte said shortly, "i think I've heard enough to make my decision. Sophie's head instantly snapped toward him. "I vote against - and you will not convince me otherwise."

Sophie just sighed. I couldn't help pity her again.

"You're being absurd Bronte," and I smiled slightly at the red-haired elf I was sitting next to. It was endearing how he always spoke his mind. "I vote in favor - and you won't convince _me_ otherwise."

They had both made their decisions; it was my turn. I was almost ready to vote in favor, I just had to make sure. "Give me your hand, Sophie," I asked her gently, holding out my own.

Her face looked confused and panicked again, and Fitz quickly explained. "Oralie's an Empath. She can feel your emotions."

Hesitantly she grasped my hand, and I almost gasped out loud when her feelings rushed through my fingertips. "I feel a lot of fear and confusion." That wasn't unexpected. "But I've never felt such sincerity. And there's something else, I can't describe it..." It was like a warm fire, a personal determination. Strength. She belonged here, and from what I felt, she wanted more than anything for us to confirm that. She wanted to _belong_ somewhere. I knew what I had to do. "You have my vote."

This girl was strange; I would be a fool to lie. But there was something about her. A passion. She was an elf, I knew it. And I knew that she would accomplish great things. This girl, with the brown eyes, had finally found her true home.


	6. Meeting Sophie: Keefe

**Okay, I decided to just skip to Keefe. I think he's the one a lot of you have been wanting to see, right? Plus, I've kinda been dying to write his POV (my Keefosterness kicking in). Tell me what you think? Yes, no, maybe so? Not sure who I'm going to do next...probably Dex.**

 **Dedicated to Cressida123 for looking this over and helping me out with it. *infinite smiley faces***

 **-Keefe**

I didn't even know what I was doing anymore.

I ditched pretty much every class and my grades were falling. My connection with my parents was becoming more frayed (which I didn't even think was possible). I'd even grown distant from Fitz.

I was a complete mess. I just didn't care about anything. What was I even doing with my life? It was just one boring day after the other. Jokes, pranks, and good looks were all that defined me anymore.

And then, just when I thought things would continue to spiral down and down and down, she came stumbling down the hall.

* * *

I was curious about the new elf; who wouldn't be? It's not every day a student miraculously shows up in the Lost Cities from pretty much nowhere. Being the Gossip King I was, I would get to the bottom of it eventually. I wasn't expecting much, though. I was sure she'd just become another face in this sea of monotony.

I stretched out on the bench in the deserted hallway and closed my eyes. I knew I had at least another three-quarters of an hour before the next round of sessions started. Then I'd have to find a new place to hang out.

Then, out of nowhere, I gasped as a flood of foreign feelings hit me. What the heck was this? I groaned as the waves of bright color penetrated my conscience. I was an Empath, I could feel the feelings of others, but I'd only been able to do so if I was touching them. Why was I feeling this now? And where was it coming from? And why of all things sparkily was it so _strong_?

I looked down the hallway, and sure enough, someone was rushing down it. Aimlessly, I might add. I knew instantly I'd never seen this girl before. She was smallish, with bright yellow hair that fell to her shoulders. I also figured that these feelings were coming from her, and that she was that new elf; Sophie Foster.

Waves of worry and dread were washing over me, and I felt bad for her; she obviously had no idea where she was going.

"You must be lost." She stopped, and her head snapped up to where I was sitting.

Looking into her face for the fire time, I came to a shocking realization; her eyes…they were brown. A glorious, vibrant brown with bright flecks of gold. It was one of the most extraordinary things I'd ever seen.

Her curiosity blended with my own.

Well, she had a bit more confusion than I did. "How did you know?"

I spread a smile across my face. I knew because you looked like a lost little kitten. Also, I could feel your worry from all the way down the hall. Not that I was going to tell her that. "It's the middle of session. Either you're lost, or you're ditching – and you're clearly not ditching."

"Why couldn't I be ditching?" My eyes almost widened; this girl had a little spunk. I thought she was going to be a docile little thing. Apparently not.

I decided to humor her. "Are you?"

Her lips pursed. "No."

I grinned. "I'm Keefe."

I have to admit; it was interesting having to introduce myself. Usually, everyone knew who I was. And even if they didn't, they'd know soon. And then they'd be falling at my feet. Not that I minded, really. It was nice to be noticed.

"Sophie-but I'm sure you already know that."

I laughed. That was an understatement. "You may be the biggest news to hit the academy since the Great Gulon Incident three years ago – which, by the way, I had nothing to do with." I think I was pulling off "mysertious bad boy" quite well. But ugh, why I was I trying to impress her? Well…she was quite pretty... "But that's not a bad thing. Personally, I've always enjoyed being the center of attention."

She looked like she was holding in a smirk. Her exotic eyes raked over me, and I had to force myself not to fidget, especially as her emotions continued to mess with mine. What was happening to me?

"Where are you supposed to be?" she asked. It took me a moment longer than it should have for me to answer.

"The Universe. I ditch whenever I can. Lady Belva has the worst crush I me. I mean, I can't really blame her," I gestured down the myself. Her expression didn't change. Darn. "But still, it's awkward, you know?" Her eyes narrowed. I decided to continue at her lack of a comment or reaction, something that was hurting my pride a bit more than I let on. Okay, a lot more. "And now I get to meet the mysterious new girl. So I'd say ditching paid off."

Oh my god, she blushed. I didn't know little Miss Stony had it in her, and I have to say, I was loving it. It was a full on bloom of red spreading across her cheeks. "I'm hardly mysterious," she muttered adorably.

"I don't know," I answered, grinning widely when her blush deepened. "You won't tell me why you're not in session. Don't think I haven't noticed." I _was_ wondering why she was so lost. Surely someone would have showed her to her class earlier. And Foxfire was big, but it wasn't that much of a maze. Maybe she was just naturally clumsy.

Her eyes flitted to her feet and her blush crawled up to her ears. I resisted the urge to jump up and give her a hug. "That's because it's too embarrassing."

"I love embarrassing!" I laughed as her emotions went haywire with worry. "Will you at least tell me where you're supposed to be?" I might as well help her out. It would be the gentlemanly thing to do.

"Alchemy with Lady Galvin," she relented. Uh-oh, not old Galvy.

"Ugh, she's the worst. I had her as a Level Three – and she hated me, probably because I turned the lab table to silver." I had no regrets about that. She deserved it. "But she said she wanted me to impress her." I winked. "Still, I wouldn't mention that we're friends if I were you."

Her emotions spiked and she looked up at me. Hm. Interesting. Maybe she was a little more raptured with me than I gave her credit for. All the better, really. She was interesting. "So, what, did Lady Galvin kick you out or something?"

She avoided looking at me. "Kind of."

"Now this I have to hear."

"You're going to laugh at me."

"Probably." I'm nothing but honest. Besides, whatever she did to make Lady Galvin kick her out is definitely something news-worthy.

Her feet shuffled. "I accidently exploded the serum I was making."

What? I burst out laughing. This girl was becoming way more than just interesting. "Did you do any damage?"

"Only to her cape-"

Oh god, she was so dead. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Do you have any idea how epic that is? That cape is her pride and joy! Did she send you to Dame Alina's office?" With each word I spoke, her feelings became more and more panicked. I tried not to clutch my stomach, even as it clenched. God, her feeling really are strong.

"No, she sent me to the Healing Center. A little of it got on my hand."

She glared at her hands, and it was then I noticed how red and blistered they were. I did a double-take. She'd had that kind of wound this entire time?

"Wow, most girls would be crying about a wound like that – most guys too." I knew perfect little Fitzy would. "Even I'd be playing it up for sympathy and stuff." I'd broken a few bones before; I had never felt anything more painful than that. Still, that wound this Foster girl sported was pretty nasty.

"It looks worse than it is."

"Still, don't you think you should get it treated?" She was pretty far from the Healing Center.

A new wave of pure fear hit me, this one worse than all the others combine. Her whole face went deathly pale.

I tried to shake it off with a laugh. "You just turned whiter than these walls. What's wrong?" I hoped she was okay…which, was a new feeling for me. I don't tend to worry about anyone else.

"Nothing," she clipped dismissively.

Oh well, I'm sure I'd get out of her eventually. "Come on, then. I'm taking you to the Healing Center so you don't get lost again." I hooked my arm with hers, and smirked as her emotions did a double-take. Not only would I have an excuse to skip my next session, I'd also get to spend a little more time with her.

It had only been a few moments, but I could already see this girl held a lot more inside her than most people here. She was a mystery, and I loved mysteries.

But it seemed like I was also starting to love those beautiful brown eyes, too.


	7. Meeting Sophie: Alvar

**Just sitting here jamming out to music on YouTube and writing a chapter. Writing from Alvar's POV was...interesting. I feel like he's a lot like Keefe. How do you all feel about Alvar? I'm not sure if I could ever forgive him, but I would never wish for his death. I honestly don't think that Alden, Della, Fitz, or Biana would be able to handle it if he actually died. I feel, with the cliffhanger at the end of Nightfall, though, that he's probably going to end up getting forgiven.**

 **Also, just a warning, some mild swearing in this chapter.**

 **-Alvar**

I appeared suddenly in front of the blinding gates of Everglen. The windows breathed with life, which, in itself, was a surprise. Who knew my parents could get festive? Dad was probably cooped up in his office, though. That's how it always was.

I started the annoying-as-ever trek to the front door, then hissed as pain shot up my arm. I latched on to it and doubled over, trying to stop the agony.

But the pain of Everblaze wasn't an easy thing to handle

I frantically fished a salve out of my cloak and pushed the sleeve of my right arm up to slather it on. Slowly, the pain started numbing away until it was a faint ache. It wouldn't last forever, but it would help me get through this dinner.

I was about to meet _her_.

The girl I had searched years for.

The girl the Neverseen had been after.

The girl my stupid brother had found, when I wasn't able.

The _bastard_.

I gritted my teeth, my footsteps crunching on the graveled walkway. To say Brant was upset that my brother found her was an understatement. He was beyond _furious_.

 _"What was the purpose of you working undercover all those years?" he shouted, a vein on his forehead bulging. "We were supposed to find her first and crush this threat before it could fester. Now all the Lost Cities knows she exists!"_

 _I flinched with every word he threw at me. "I'm sorry! My father-"_

 _He thrust his hand out, grabbing onto my arm. "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR EXCUSES! YOU HAVE FAILED ME! I COULD MUTILATE THAT PRETTY FACE OF YOURS SO BAD YOU'D BE BEYOND RECOGNITION!"_

 _The smell of burning flesh penetrated my nose and I tried not to gag._ Don't look down. Don't look down _._

 _He threw me adruptly and I slammed into a wall. He got down in my face. "I want you to go to that dinner with the_ Vackers _." He sneered their name. "I want you to keep a close eye on that Foster girl from now on. Get information from your father. Use your damn Vanishing powers and spy on them. I don't care. I want information on the Moonlark, and I won't tolerate another screw up on your part."_

As much as I hated bowing down to him, especially as mentally unstable as he was, I didn't exactly want my entire body caste to the flames. Getting away with just a burnt arm was a blessing.

I'd seen him do so, so much worse.

Trying to shake myself from those types of thoughts, I quickly rushed into the house, following the sound of laughter and talking.

I morphed my features into my normal "I-don't-give-a-crap" grin and entered the room. I sank into a chair. "Sorry I'm late, Mom. I got held up at Customs." I resisted the grimace. If only they knew what I was truly doing with my time. They'd never look at me the same. Well, it's not like they look at me much to begin with. Now with my golden little brother, the exceptional Telepath.

I glanced at the wide-eyed girl sitting next to me, who was quite pretty, to best honest. Bright blonde hair and a narrow face. She wasn't petite, but still fairly small. And-

Holy. Mother. Of. Exile.

Her _eyes_.

And it only took another heartbeat before I recognized those eyes. I'd seen the exact same pair on a little blonde girl, sitting sadly on the front steps of her house. She had been one of the many suspected of being the Moonlark. One that I had passed on.

A girl with brown eyes. She was an elf. She was the _Moonlark_.

I realized my staring was getting creepy. _Play it cool, Alvar_.

"You must be the famous Sophie Foster." She blushed at that comment, and Keefe snickered. Ah, Keefe, Lady Gelsa's son. I should have known he'd be hanging around too. "I'm Alvar."

She eyed me with curious embarrassment. "I didn't realize there was another brother."

Wow. That…actually hurt a little. Ha. Whatever. "I see my family talks about me a lot."

Her face flushed and her eyes darted to Fitz's or my mom's, whose, I might add, looked a tad guilty. "No—I'm sorry. I—"

"It's fine," I cut her off. "That's what I get for moving out. Out of sight, out of mind." I winked at my mother, rubbing the salt in the wound a bit more than probably necessary. The bitch deserved it. "I guess I need to stop by for dinner more often." I'd rather burn in Exile.

"We know you're busy," my mother said, setting down some wine in front of me. I took it gingerly. If I had to deal with comments like that, since I clearly wasn't needed, I was going to need a good dose of alcohol.

"Yeah, busy juggling two girlfriends," the Sencen boy interrupted, and I grinned at him. It was interesting having my own little fan. The guy practically worshiped the ground I walked on. At least it was nice to feel wanted.

"Three," I corrected.

"Three?" Mom cried. I rolled my eyes; she was such a kill joy. "Alvar, that's awful."

"Are you kidding?" Keefe exclaimed. "It's awesome! You're my hero."

I smiled proudly. At least someone cared. I was about to turn my attention back to the Foster girl, with her strange eyes, when my dad interrupted me. What was he even doing down here? Usually he'd be cooped up in his office already. Or still.

'How are things with the ogres?"

I expected something like that, so I had my answer ready. "Drama. They're not happy about the smoke—like it's our fault the humans can't put out their piddly little fires. I can't believe they haven't learned to make Quicksnuff yet." Not like it would help. I almost laughed out loud. Ah, the inside jokes.

"What fires?" The Foster girl asked. Ooo, that cringe of my father's was _epic_. So she wasn't aware the fires were still burning on through with a passion? Oops, I guess I let something slip.

"Just some wildfires," Dad answered. Nu-uh, you're not getting out of it that easy, old man.

"Yes, and they're certainly not worth sending Emissaries to investigate." I shot my father a look, and resisted the urge to grin again as the Moonlark's eyes grew more panicked.

"Are they burning white hot again?"

Aw, the poor wittle Moonlark. "Yeah. How did you know?"

The rest of the events that followed basically included the curious little girl meddling in business my father had clearly been trying to keep under wraps. Gauging by both their reactions, she knew a lot more than he intended, and he was still hiding a lot from her.

Oh, this was going to be _fun_.

I glanced over at my brother, my golden little brother. He was staring, quite intently, at the little Moonlark girl. So he has a crush, eh? Good for him, good for him…

I couldn't wait to rip this girl right from out of his hands.

I was sick of being cast aside; of being forgotten. I'd dealt with little Vacker Wonderboy for far too long, and I worked far too hard to let this strange girl get in my way.

This Moonlark, brown eyes and all, arrived just in time to watch both worlds burn.


	8. YOU CAN NOW MAKE SCENE POV REQUESTS!

Hello people! I don't normally do chapter author notes, but this is important! I've recently changed some things up, to make it a little more interactive and interesting. You can now make REQUESTS for ANY scene in KOTLC in ANY POV! (If I don't have any requests, I'll just make character POVs for when they meet Sophie as normal).

 **All you have to do is comment with the book the scene is from, the page number it starts on, and who's POV you want it to be in (Just so I don't have to flip through page after page after page trying to find it).**

You can also just make a request for specific characters; I'm no longer going in order, so ignore any notes in later chapters about going in order by who meets Sophie.

Right now, I am working on a Fitz POV for when Sophie was pronounced dead, suggested by Kenkenny3000.

The Chapter naming might be a little weird, so bear with me as I figure it out.

Hope you enjoy! And please start sending in some requests!

~~~BuddingWriter101


	9. Sophie's Death: Fitz

**Sorry for the slacking. I want to use the "I've been busy excuse," and while that was true for maybe about a week, there was still plenty of opportunities to write. I'm just lazy. This suggestion comes from Kenkenny3000! Next is Stina meeting Sophie, then a Keefe POV of him playing base quest with Sophie for the first time. If I don't get any more requests, your other request (Cressida123) of when Dex and Sophie kiss will be after that. THANKS EVERYONE!**

 **I also was able to preorder Flashback, which I'm excited about. Still nervous about the Fitz POV. I feel like I'm going to be punching some walls and screaming into pillows, but oh well.**

Fitz POV

"So what do you think of Sophie?" Keefe asked nonchalantly. We were walking through the Foxfire halls during study hall. I'd managed to convince Keefe to do some actual studying, but based off of this question, I started to realize he had an ulterior motive.

Sophie always goes to the library during study hall.

I eyed him quizzically. Deny, deny, deny, right? "What do you mean?"

"You don't seem to talk to her much."

I snorted. "What are you talking about? I talk to her all the time."

With the way he was fidgeting and avoiding my eyes, you'd think he was about to ask me if he could marry her. Because I knew this was about Sophie. You'd have to be blind if you didn't notice the way Keefe fell over himself when she was around.

He pursed his lips. "I guess. But I was wondering…"

"What?" I felt bad about toying with him. Honestly, though, I didn't really want to admit it out loud. Sure, I obviously knew how he was feeling, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

I may not talk to Sophie that much, but that's because of the bile guilt forces up my throat whenever I'm around her. I don't deserve to be friends with her. If I look into those big brown eyes, all I can see is the heartbroken despair that was on her face when she was forced to drug her parents.

I caused that.

And anyway, the ever-flirtatious Keefe just wasn't the right fit for her. That's what I tried to convince myself, anyway.

"Look, what I'm trying to say is, I-"

Sophie chose that moment to barrel in out of nowhere and slam into me. Excellent timing, on her part. I steadied her and was just about to laugh when I noticed the tears glistening on her cheeks.

A pang of guilt resonated through my stomach. I'd seen that look before. Hurt. Betrayal. "Sophie? Are you okay?"

She tried wiggling away, and once she noticed Keefe (who had frozen at the sight of her crying), she struggled more. "I'm fine." The cracking of her voice convinced me otherwise.

I grabbed onto her arms again, trying to calm her down and let her explain. "Hey. What's happened? What's wrong?"

She was really fighting now, even pushing against my chest and trying to dart past me. Maybe I should just leave her alone, but I had to know what had gotten her _this_ upset. I wasn't about to stand there and be useless when she was crying…again.

"Let me go," she muttered weakly.

"Tell me what's going on first," I answered firmly.

"Uh, Fitz," Keefe said hesitantly, his eyes still on Sophie. "I'm feeling some pretty serious rage right now. It's probably not a good idea to annoy her."

Rage? And I wasn't trying to annoy her. She should tell us what's wrong. We're her friends.

"Tell me what happened," I pleaded with her, desperate to understand and stop her tears. What I wasn't expecting was the loud, frustrated screech.

"UGH! Just stop already!" she shoved me away, and I stumbled back, surprised.

"Stop what?"

"Stop pretending like you care. I know your dad put you up to it, okay?"

Oh crap.

Oh crap.

Oh. Crap.

How could she have figured that out? I mean, maybe it was true at first, but it wasn't like that anymore. I had thought Biana had truly found a friend in Sophie, and I'd forced myself through the guilt and talked to her more. We'd hung out and have fun. Did she really think it was all a lie? But then…why wouldn't she? Who knows what she had heard?

"That's crazy," Keefe scoffed, but after he saw my pale face, he grew silent.

"What did Biana tell you?" I asked quietly, ready to chew her out for whatever she had said. After all, where else she could have heard something like this?

"Nothing," she spat. "Neither of you had the decency to be honest with me. I had to hear about from Stina."

Of course it was Stina. It was always Stina. And everyone else at this school giving her hell. "Sophie, it's—"

"I don't want to hear it," she started out angryily, but her voice cracked at the end. Keefe had a mixed expression of worry and disappointment as another wave of guilt flooded my stomach, which he no doubt felt as well.

She ran away, and I started after her, but Keefe held me back. "Better leave her alone."

He might have been the Empath. He might have known way more about her feelings that I did. Heck, he had the right to. He'd hung out with her way more than I had, willingly, I might add.

But still. I should have just gone after her.

But I let her cry all alone, just like I had before.

* * *

Later that night, I was trying my best to finish up my homework, anything to distract me from the giant mess that became my social life. Biana was quiet all through dinner, and only picked at her food. I wasn't much different, too ashamed to look either of my parents in the eye.

They didn't ask what was wrong.

I was flicking my pencil across a notebook, and watching it roll back down. How was I going to fix this? I had to fix it. I had to. I wasn't about to lose Sophie as a friend. I couldn't.

I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in," I called absentmindedly, not even looking up from my desk.

"Fitz." It was something in my father's voice that caused me to snap my head up. Raw emotion. His face was tear-stained, his eyes hallow-like.

Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

"Dad?" I asked shakily. "What's the matter?"

He said nothing, just stared at me. I grew more panicked. "Dad? Dad? Tell me what's wrong. What happened? Dad?"

"It's about Sophie," my heart sank at his straggling voice. "S-She went up to a cave at Havenfield. She hasn't returned, and the cave is completely flooded because of high tide. We found her and Dex's, who was with her at the time, registry pendants in the ocean. They're gone, Fitz. Sophie and Dex…they're gone."

I felt my throat close up. I felt my heart harden.

"Fitz…" my father started.

"Shut up," I snapped. His expression didn't change. "Just go." He nodded, and slowly shut the door, leaving me in my room alone.

I turned back to my desk. _She's gone_ …

And it was my fault.

I swiped all of my notebooks and pens onto the floor, but they didn't make much noise against the carpet. I picked up the lamp and sent it hurtling to a wall, grimacing at the satisfying sound it made as it shattered into pieces.

The rage…pure rage built up inside my heart. Something so strong, it clouded over everything else. This was my fault. Sophie was dead because of me.

Why did I let her go? Why did I let Keefe stop me?

Before I knew it, I was surrounded in the broken pieces of my room. All junk to begin with. All meaningless.

She died, thinking that I had betrayed her…that I wasn't really her friend…

And with that final thought, my mind hardened into a shell, oblivious to the rest of the world.

 **I feel like my voice seems off and awkward…I guess that's what I get for slacking. I hope you still enjoyed!**


	10. Meeting Sophie: Stina

**GAAAAAAAH! It's been so long! I'm soooorrrryyyy! But here we go. I'm writing, I'm writing. I was honestly a little worried about writing in Stina's POV, but it was actually pretty interesting. She's a little mean, but endearing.**

 **P.S. I almost called the gnomes "house elves." Ugh.**

Meeting Sophie: Stina

I think one of the worst things to wake up to is the sound of glass shattering. Mornings are already a sore spot for me. I don't appreciate being waken up in general, especially not to the sound of _CRASH! Trinkle, trinkle, trinkle_.

But that's exactly what happened this Monday morning. The only good thing about it was that we were still on break from Foxfire. Other than that, things just already weren't going my way.

I heard the crash all the way from my dream state and sat straight up in bed. I looked around my room with groggy eyes, Mr. Waffles (my stuffed panda) still snugly wrapped up in my arms. Glass shattering…glass shattering…

I finally spotted my mother through the gap in the curtain of my large poster bed. Even though my gaze was still hazy, I could make out her figure standing with one arm out and one hand tangled in the pink curtain.

I frowned when I realized her outdrawn hand was empty. She always brings me cantelberry tea every morning. She says it helps keep my complexion smooth, and it tastes good, so I don't complain. But she brings the tea without fail (unless she's busy, but then she gets one of the gnomes to do it). What could she possibly be doing?

"Mom?" I asked, my voice sounding like I'd gurgled muck (my breath probably smelled like it too). "What are you doing?"

I was starting to gain more of my bearings as I woke up, the colors around me getting clearer. My mother just stood there, staring at me, her mouth agape like some kind of sea creature.

"Y-your…" She couldn't seem to find her words.

I was getting irritated now. "My what?"

"Your hair!"

I scrunched up my eyebrows. "My hair? What's wrong with my-" I put my hand up to inspect but felt nothing.

Like _, nothing,_ nothing.

I slowly twisted my torso around to look behind me.

There, on my pillow, were lumps of my curly brown hair.

Slowly, the seconds stretching out, I reached up to touch my head. Finding it, once again, completely smooth, I realized in that instant that this wasn't some kind of overly realistic dream.

I was completely and utterly bald.

I screamed.

It wasn't long until my mother joined me.

"You!" I trailed behind my mother as we entered Slurps and Burps, the burping of the door altering the owner to our presence. I hated this place with a burning passion, but I'll be damned if I show up to school bald.

That little nerd was going to _pay_.

"What's wrong now, Vika?" The owner asked, exasperated. Oh, he was annoyed? Then he should try waking up to being completely bald! I mean, if anyone could make it work, it'd be me. But _still_.

"Ask your son," my mother cried. Her voice rising. "This has his handiwork written all over it!"

I tried clutching my pink cloak closer to my head, but my mother whipped it off.

I willed myself not to blush from embarrassment as everyone gasped. Well, except one.

"Hey, Stina. Did you change something? 'Cause you look different today. Wait, don't tell me…"

I jerked my head up to glare at stupid Dex Diznee. What the hell is wrong with him? Why is he doing this to me? "Mom!" I whined, hoping she'd take over. I just wanted to get the proper serum and start plotting that nerd's murder.

I saw the owner's lips twitch, and I just wanted to die. "We don't sell any balding solutions here, Vika."

"Just because you don't sell them doesn't mean you don't make them," my mom growled in response.

The owner glanced knowingly at Diznee, who shrugged. "You know how to make them too."

UGH! "I knew it was you, you stupid sasquatch!" This was just going too far! How dare he get rid of all my hair! This was abuse! This was unacceptable!

He had the nerve to roll his eyes. "Did you know you have a dent in your skull right there?" He pointed to the side of my head. I finally lost it when I heard the girl next to him snicker. I hadn't even noticed her before, but of course she would listen to whatever Diznee said and make _me_ the villain.

I lunged for the stupid nerd, ready to finally beat him to a pulp.

I felt a hand on my shoulder pull me from off him. "That's enough!" the owner shouted. "Control your daughter, Vika?" What? How was I the one who needed controlling? He was the one who's letting his son put serums into other peoples' food!

"Why should I? It's not like you control your children." You tell him, mom!

"We have Hairoids in stock," the nerd's dad answered begrudgingly. "Take some on the house, and she'll have her hair back in a week."

No. No. No. "A week?" I rightfully wailed. "I can't go to school looking like…like…"

"An ogre?"

UGH! HE WAS GOING TO DIE!

"If my daughter misses any days of school because of _your_ son, I will make sure he is held responsible."

"You can't prove anything," Diznee mumbled. Ha! Please! You've basically admitted to it already.

"I won't need to. They'd expect nothing less from a bad match!" I shrunk a little. That was…I guess maybe that was a little…uncalled for. But no. Diznee…he slipped balding serum into my food. He deserved this! Right!

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," the owner spat, and I stepped a bit closer to my mother. "You two are going to get out of my sight, and when I finish helping these customers," he gestured to that girl and who I assume is her mother, "I'll see if I can make the Hairoids more potent. If I can't, wear a hat."

They stared at each other for a bit, but my mother finally related. "I guess we have no choice. It's not like anyone else would waste their lives making ridiculous medicines in a useless shop."

"If it's so _useless_ , why does everyone buy for me?" Stupid sasquatch.

My mother just humphed and threw my hood back over my head. She started pulling me to the door, and a threw a glare at Diznee. "I'll get you for this."

He rolled his hands and waved his hands in the air sarcastically. "Oooh, I'm really scared." The girl next to him was trying to hide a smile behind her hands. "What are you looking at?" I snapped.

Her eyes flitted away. "Nothing."

I blinked, thinking I saw something, but I was out the door before I could get a better look.

"That's the result of a bad match, Stina," my mother grumbled, stomping through the streets.

"Yeah," I answered absentmindly. I must be wrong, I must be, but I could swear that girl had brown eyes.

Oh well. Even if that were true, they were probably just contacts.

In any case, I was going to make Diznee pay. Him and that stupid brown-eyed girl who'd dared laugh at me.


	11. Riding Silveny: Keefe

**I have no excuses. Enjoy!**

 **Requested by a guest.**

 **Exile, pages 485-489**

 **-Riding Silveny: Keefe's POV**

"So let me get this straight," I started slowly, trying to ignore Sandor glaring at me from behind Sophie. "We don't know where we're going, or how long it's going to take us to get there, and we're flying to meet the Black Swan - who may or maybe not be evil murderers - and this whole thing could be a trap?"

"Pretty much," Sophie reluctantly agreed. Would it be embarrassing to admit to the giddy excitement that shot through my heart?

"Awesome!" I could practically feel the disapproval from Sandor - and Grady for that matter. "'Bout time this project got a bit more exciting." And about time Sophie finally let me in on some of her secretive plans. She hides waaay too much. First and foremost, I'm glad she felt like she could tell me - _and_ ask me for help. But also, and I'd never admit this to her, she asked _me_. Not Dex, not Wonderboy. Me.

Probably the most least qualified person she should be entrusting with this information.

"Don't worry, Gigantor," I told Sandor. "I'll keep her safe." It felt more like a promise to myself. But I _would_ keep her safe.

Sandor cracked his knuckles, and I hope Sophie didn't notice the bit of color that drained from my face. "You better."

Trust me, Gigantor, it's my _only_ priority.

"And your parents didn't have any concerns with you going?" Grady asked, equally as menacing as Sandor even without weapons. "You _did_ tell them, right?"

"Of course I told them. Sheesh - you act like I'm some kind of troublemaker." I winked at Sophie, who didn't seem to appreciate the humor. "Seriously though, they were fine with it. Well, once my dad was done asking me ten thousand questions to make sure I wasn't heading off to recreate the Great Gulon Incident." Wait, that was an admittance of my crimes, was it? Because of course, I had nothing to do with that.

Sophie hit me with a new round of anxiety straight in my stomach. Geez, if it hurt this bad, I couldn't imagine how clenched her stomach must be. "You told your dad about-"

"Relax," I cut in, trying to ease her nerves (because sparkle-almighty did it hurt). "I only told him that you had to fly with Silveny somewhere and your parents didn't want you to go alone. I got your back, Foster."

The warmth in my chest from her whispered "thank you" overrode any pain.

I cleared my throat. "So, we ready to do this? What do you think, Glitter Butt?" Sophie frowned at the mention of my nickname for Silveny, which only made me want to use it more. "You ready for a Foster-Keefe adventure?"

Judging by her nicker (and Sophie's sour expression), that was a resounding yes.

"Are you sure you shouldn't wait until morning?" Grady asked Sophie.

"The sooner we go, the sooner we get back." Grady still looked skeptical. "This is the only way to make me better." I wanted to reach out and hold her hand. "And maybe if I do, i can heal Alden and Prentice and-"

"They're not the ones who matter, Sophie," Grady interrupted firmly and wrapped Sophie in a hug. My first reaction would be to agree, but I felt like I shouldn't intrude. This was...personal. And some selfish part of me hated it. "I'm doing this for _you_. You have to come back. Stronger and healthier than ever."

"I will," Sophie promised.

"Don't let them do anything except fix you,' Grady continued, busting out in full overprotective dad mode (not that I would really know what that looked like. Just the opposite of good old dad, I guess?). "And if there's anything strange or scary, you run - make Silveny teleport you away if you need to. Just come home safe. If you don't, I..."

"I'll be home soon."

She would. I'm going to make sure of it.

Grady squeezed her tighter and whispered something in her ear. It was quiet, but Keefe could still hear, "I love you."

"I love you too." Her voice cracked at the end.

Edaline handed her a bag of snacks and Sophie nodded after she asked if she had her Imparter. "Hail us the first second you can."

"Of course."

It was Edaline's turn for a hug, and she added a kiss on the cheek. "I'll miss you every second you're gone."

What was happening? I'm supposed to be focusing on the mission and keeping Sophie safe, but now I have to fight the burning in my throat. As happy as I was Sophie had such a caring family, it still... _hurt_.

And like an idiot, I had to open my big mouth. "Whoa, you guys are hardcore with your goodbyes. My mom just told me 'See you, son' and my dad only asked if I'd checked how tight the pin on my cloak was so I wouldn't lose the family heirloom." Way to go, Keefe, you selfish jerk.

And then Edaline squeezed my hand, and even though it wasn't much...it was still way more warmth then I was used to. It was almost like they cared. Not as much as they did with Sophie, obviously, but still...

And of course, my face also burned. Of course.

I cleared my throat, trying to distract them from the momentary break in my usual armor (though I have a feeling Sophie noticed based on the sympathy she was throwing my way). "So, are you ready?"

She took a deep breath, and even though she visibly shook, there wasn't a trace of doubt in her face. "Probably as much as I'll ever be."

There's that Sophie I know.

Grady opened the gate and Silveny trotted out to let us on her back.

"You better hold on tight," Sophie warned. I wrapped my arms around her waist (with only minor fanboying). Silveny ran forward, lifting her wings, and with one final look at Grady, Edaline, and Sandor, we were in the sky, flying off into the twilight sky.

 **WHY DO I NOT REMEMBER WHEN KEEFE BLUSHED AFTER EDALINE SQUEEZED HIS HAND? WHY WAS THIS NOT IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO ME? Well hopefully this chapter makes you all go back and re-read this part in Exile and squeal (page numbers at the top in case you didn't notice).**

 **I know this was technically the moment _before_ they ride Silveny, but I felt like this is more emotionally charged and had more potential. But if you guys _really_ want me to do the actual riding (and I wouldn't blame you), I'll do a part two. I just wanted to update this. **


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